How many windmills does it take to stop a coal power plant?

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Feature story - 7 November, 2008

More than 80 activists occupied the site of E.ON's proposed coal fired power-plant in Antwerp Harbour – setting up over four thousand tiny windmills and painting the message "Flanders Quit Coal" on the tarmac.

Less than 12 percent of the 50 billion euros E.ON plans to spend between 2008-2010 to expand its power generation will be on renewable energy.

The action illustrates the choice facing the Flemish
authorities. They can allow the construction of another climate
changing coal power plant or invest in wind power and greater
energy independence.

We're also meeting with the Cabinet of Flemish Minister
President, Kris Peeters, to debate how the region can take concrete
steps towards a future free from dirty coal and dangerous nuclear
power.

German electricity provider E.ON envisages the construction of a
huge coal power plant in Antwerp. The plant would emit some 6
million tonnes of CO2 per year. This is equivalent to half of what
is already coming from Belgium's six other coal power plants!

Just say NO!

Coal is the most polluting of all fossil fuels. A third of all
CO2 emissions come from coal and, if business continues as usual,
this could increase to 60 percent by 2030.

E.ON plans to spend 50 billion euros between 2008-2010 to expand
its power generation across Europe. But only 12 percent of this
will be invested in renewable sources of energy. E.ON plans to
build eight new coal plants in Germany, Belgium, the UK and the
Netherlands (costing around1.2 billion euros each) and to construct
another 2000MW of coal-fired capacity in the rest of the EU.

Plug into the wind

This action comes after the Rainbow Warrior demonstrated the
potential of a North Sea electricity grid by simulating the
connection of the first Belgian offshore wind farm to those of
neighbouring countries. The interconnection of North Sea wind farms
would increase the reliability of clean wind energy and allows it
to be combined with other renewable energy sources, like hydraulic
energy from Norway.

Our ships the Arctic Sunrise and the Rainbow Warrior have been
bringing the "Quit Coal" message to the Mediterranean and Europe,
during a four month expedition, in the run-up to crucial UN climate
negotiations in Poznan, Poland, this December.

In order to kickstart an energy [r]evolution that will save the
climate - the world needs to give coal the boot NOW!